Prince - '3121' (Universal/Mowtown) Released 20/03/06

For as long as the sun shines on this earth legends will never ever fail to spark the interest of the forever listening public. However, Prince isn’t just any old legend; he’s the embodiment of what musical genius looks and sounds like. His new album ‘3121’ contains the perfect balance between commercial greatness and legendary status. Whether it’s the contemporary sound witnessed on first single ‘Black Sweat’ or the classic instrumentation heard on the seductively adoring ‘Te Amo Corazon’, Prince can’t be beaten in the originality stakes. Just like Timbaland produced tracks you can always tell a Prince song just from the introduction. So when track eight (‘Fury’) appears on your CD player the instant drum and guitar riffs help cast your mind back to Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ days.

The production is incredible and the guitar playing flawless. If you were to compare this release to any of Prince’s previous works of art it wouldn’t be hard to do so. 1994’s ‘Come’ contains more sexually charged lyrical content than what ‘3121’ does but their ideas and execution sit side by side. Emotionally touching records are another of Prince’s specialities so it comes as no surprise to find a record like ‘The Dance’ made the final album cut. Its slow, luxurious and controlled build up to the finale (which stands at 5:20) takes your mind to a place that only Prince can do so. Now on Motown, Prince is more focused than ever. You’d be a fool to miss this one.